400 Spartans vs 400 Vikings

Lets even it up a bit the vikings will use no arrows only their shields, swords and spears. The Spartans will still have all their gear spears, swords, and shields. Ok let the battle begin!!!!

I'd still say spartans because of their motivations and training. I think the Viking bring in more raw power but not the same skillset as a spartan

Spartans for the win.

@dalastuchihaman: Ok then what the if the vikings were more organized and were at the same strength as the spartans?

"Superman outclasses Batman" "Ahh so what if Batman was stronger, faster and more durable?"

What's the point in these alterations?

Spartans had better training, better weapons, better armor, and better tactics. Once the Spartans assembled into a phalanx, the Vikings would stand no chance in Helheim of beating them.

Spartans didn't wear armour and the Vikings had better weaponry, this fight could go either way (the Vikings used shield walls as well).

Wha...yeah they did.

@wolfrazer: many didn't. also, the Vikings armour was way better, it was chainmail.

@asgardianbrony: What? Dude 300 Movie is BS. Spartan were COVERED ALL OVER in armor.

Popped up when I looked Greek Spartan up.

@thespartanb345t: I researched a little more. the Spartans were like the celts, some wore armour and some didn't. anyway, there armour was far inferior to that of the Vikings.

@asgardianbrony: I see many have already argued with you on the armor part, so I'll focus on the weapons part. A Spartan's spear was better than any Viking spear, sword, or axe, especially when paired with the shield.

@thespartanb345t: I agree with you, but to be fair, he never used the movie 300 as an argument.

@mrmonster: Vikings have spears just like the Spartans and I would take the Viking longsword over the short swords Spartans had any day.

The debate here seems to agree that weapons and armor between the two were roughly even or would cancel out any real advantage the other might have.

Tactics would win the day here. For all their might, and the general cunning the Vikings possessed by and large the Spartans has them, and MOST people beat in training and tactics.

I'm also assuming we're talking about the height of both of their cultures in making war.

@asgardianbrony Yeah, the one's in the front wore armor. Some didn't. Their armor was definitely inferior though. The Vikings only real advantage besides height is technology. If the Spartans get into a
Phalanx, R.I.P. Vikings. They may have had shield walls, but Spartan phalanxes were unstoppable forces from the front. If the Vikings try to attack them head on, they die horribly. Spartan phalanxes had far too much force behind them. If the Vikings flank (and they had soldiers protecting the sides) it because a traditional 1 on 1 fight, x400 (a traditional fighting sequence, with people fighting each other, moving on to the next.) Either way, the Spartans should win. They were by far physically superior (look up Spartan Agoge) and each one lived an died to fight, nothing else. Slaves did all of their other work, and the Spartans solely fought. I am not undermining Vikings, but the edge should go the Spartans.

The shield is the huge advantage here (I am talking the 1v1 situation, the phalanx, if the flanking is not successful or if there is no flanking {would probably be the most likely outcome} would stomp the Vikings.) The shield is enormous, covering all of a crouched figure. It could tank several blows from some weapons (eventually they will give way) and go for the kill.

Overall Spartans 6.5/10. Very close (assuming no phalanx.)

Lol I realized how biased my username makes me sound.

@thespartanb345t: that sounds right. I guess the Spartans would win a slight majority. the Vikings for all their power were at their best when striking fast and out of nowhere. in a war using everything at their disposal I say Vikings win, but in this thread under these rules I think your assessment is correct.

Vikings had better weapons and armor but Spartans fought better together as one so one on one Vikings but 400 vs 400 Spartans

Saw this and really hoped you were talking about these Spartans:

Was disappointed.

@teefurtree: If we were really talking about those spartans they would be facing vikings.

@asgardianbrony: It wouldn't matter the spartans had bronze armor, swords, spears and shields which by looking at everyone else says there more inferior than what the vikings had hell they had wooden shields.

Leonidas Solos.

@bionar: I cant agree more.

Not enough information. Where are they fighting? A phalanx formation would fall apart if they tried to do it in like say, an open field.

The vikings, how many are in chainmail? What are they using, spears, axes? There are TONS of factors needed to decide this fight.

Bronze shields are heavy. Metal shields were necessary for fighting long term in phalanx formations, but if your specialty are skirmishes in open terrain; a wooden shield with a center grip is the far better option.

JS the spartans had iron and were some of the first producers of steel, Vikings are a terrible match up for them actually as the phalanx would easily pick them off.

Spartans.

Vikings. Any person with clear knowledge of history would know that

Depends.I would say that Vikings win if it's a battle on a open field,considering all of them attacked on horses(although they weren't a really good cavalry...),and not to mention that they are more technologically advanced than Spartans.You need to clarify a bit more,like who's the leader of Vikings if you're talking about a tactical battle.

Spartans the vikings may have better technology. Yet Spartans are literally trained there entire life and live only to fight they would be physically stronger,better trained and more skilled along with having better tactics i dont' see the vikings winning here.

@debelindzo: There not riding horses.

LOOOL I was actually just thinking this

Spartans easily.

@gil_galiad: Hey batman is already intelligent and has the tech to bring down superman its off topic anyway.

@undeadslayer4: They are still tactically superior to Spartans.Spartans used BRONZE weapons,meaning they break and get blunt after a few hits.It doesn't help the fact that Vikings are well known to use the surrounding area to their and the phalanx,the formation that Spartans used was really weak against skirmishers.And even if skirmishing doesn't work,the Viking shield wall is vastly superior,because Vikings supported it with axes and had longer and stronger swords that could cut better.Also,Spartan shields were a lot heavier and because of that phalanx didn't have much mobility,which makes them a vulnerable target.The Norse armour is also superior but not everyone had it,meaning Spartan's have the advantage.

Spartans are chronically overrated.

@undeadslayer4 Where is the fight at? It decides whether phalanxes work or not.

Spartans.

Spartans win.

• Physically superior (on average)
• Faster (Vikings used to carry a lot of gear into battle)
• Superior training (their training literally started at birth, they were bathed in wine and if they cried they were left on a hill to starve or be "adopted" by village people on the outskirts)
• Superior tactics (phalanx, see 300 for reference)

I am the first person to say Spartans get wanked on the vine due to 300 but they might actually win this fight.

@zetsumoto: chain mail was uncommon for vikings because, you know, they are sea farers and mail is heavy. You drown.

They wore leather armor for the most part.

The Spartans in 300 aren't Spartans, if they had actually done that they would have been killed or tortured for breaking rank and endangering the rest of the phalanx.

@cpt_nice: You can swim in full plate armor. Mail isn't all that heavy. Mail was uncommon because it was expensive, but it was still used by professional warriors.

1. Vikings were the largest people in Europe during this time period.
2. The Spartans walk around with heavy bronze shields...
3. Vikings started training early as well, and the whole getting rid of seemingly weak babies thing is hilariously impractical.
4. Don't reference a movie for a historical battle. Every army in the world had a variation of the phalanx formation. Greeks place an unusual amount of emphasis on it, only because it worked for the terrain they were in.

Spartans win due to better gear and more organized style giving a great defense.

Bigger shields better armor (yes chainmail is very good but it still isn't a garuntee defense compared yo a solid material)

Having the battle formation will due well at slowing down a viking attack and give a spartain more chances (because shield covers more area and makes it more difficult to reach around which is what helps make the spartan armor better than the chainmail due to less effective and powerful strikes its going to take trying to reach around the shield.

The vikings defenitly got better weapons tho like real swords not little daggers.

If they break through the spartan defense its game over for the Spartans.

Spartans have their work cut out and if a spearhead breaks that guy is pretty useless to attack.

Pretty much this is best defense vs best offense scenario and I think the Spartans defense and early lead that's gunna cause will give them the win

Vikings wield steel weapons and chainmail armor which is MUCH more effective than bronze.

Vikings takes this.

I think the whole phalanx thing is getting a tad overrated. Sure it's great, but it's not as if it's something only the Spartans knew, which also then knowing how to get around that.

1: Larger =/= stronger.

2: Those "heavy" bronze shields were not solid bronze they were usually plated with approximately 0.43mm of bronze and backed with multiple layers of rawhide. they approximately weighed between 20-25lbs which isn't exactly heavy especially for a soldier that had trained with the equipment since early manhood (which back then was approximately 14 years old).

3: No it isn't while 300 heavy added HB the premise was relatively accurate, "weak babies" were dismissed because Spartans wanted only the strongest lines to succeed.

4: The phalanx formation in the movie was accurate though. The Greek phalanx overlapped shields so that each man was guarded by his right-hand neighbour's apsis as well as his own which is exactly what the movie showed.

Spartans used "little daggers" so they could manoeuvre the weapon much more easily in close combat.